Skin Care and Heavy Makeup

I have very sensitive skin, but I like to wear a lot of makeup. Hard to believe I've become accustomed to such dramatic looks when a year ago, I didn't even own any eyeliner! I'm still on a crusade to find ways to indulge my growing makeup obsession without totally ruining my skin. So! Here are some tips I've come across and please feel free to share your makeup/skincare secrets in the comments. I'm hungry for more...

First off, an overview of my skin! There are all different types of skin the world, so what works for one person may not work for another based off of genes alone. I have dry skin that is more prone to redspots than acne, however I do get the occasional blemish. If you have oily skin, my tips may not be as useful to you. My skin is also very tempremental. It freaks out over product switches, seasonal air, Parliament changes in Europe...so I have to ease it into different routines if I find out one isn't working. If you are lucky enough to have skin that takes easily to routine switches, then you won't have to be as careful in buying new products or trying different remedies to attain your perfect complexion!

Step One: Cleanser

It's very important to keep your skin clean! This usually involves washing with some kind of cleanser, and I'd also suggest keeping your hands away from your face as much as possible. Hand oils can cause your skin to breakout. Lately, I've been washing my face simply with Dove Soap. It is very gentle and leaves my skin feeling smooth. I wash in the morning and the evening although some people say there is no need to wash in the morning (after all, you've just slept on a clean pillowcase all night).

Step Two: Moisturizer

After cleansing my face, it is absolutely essential to moisturize! My skin is so dry that I can use Cortizone Maximum Strength cream as a daily facial moisturize, although it is very heavy, so I typically do a light layer of this cream, and then follow it up with a slightly thicker layer of Aveeno "Positively Radiant" Moisturizer with SPF 15. This cream is my favorite! It's very light and easily absorbed, and anything with sunscreen is a bonus for those of us trying to maintain a porcelain complexion.

Step Three: Makeup!

Of course, putting on makeup is the most fun part. I like to create bold looks around the eyes that extend up and past the brow, so its covering a lot of skin in makeup. The skin around the eye is very fragile, so I've found that the best thing to do is not be a perfectionist. I tend to freak out if my wing tips aren't exactly even, so I scrub them off and start over. Doing this four or five times puts a lot of stress on this delicate skin, so it's best to just leave it alone. I also try to use eye shadow where possible instead of eyeliner as it comes off easier. Angled brushes are lifesavers for this method because they're great at making thin precise lines that some people use eyeliner for. Also, try to avoid waterproof anything because it is really hard to scrub off, and it will still get all over your face if you cry, trust me.

After you've strutted around in your extravagant makeup all day, it's important to remove it. This is where I have to be the most patient. I'm usually ready to SLEEEEEEP at the end of the day, and I don't want to spend a lot of time taking my makeup off. In the past, I've attacked it with a Makeup Remover Wipe, scrubbing none too gently. Needles to say, that was shit for my skin. So recently, I've promised my face a gentler removal. I use my ring finger (the weakest and also the gentlest) to dab baby oil around my eye and then I let it sit for a while before gently rubbing it off from the outside of the eye in towards the nose to remove my eye makeup. I still haven't come up with a good trick for removing the waterline because getting baby oil in one's eye is very painful. :P

In summary, keep skin clean, be gentle when putting on and removing makeup, and moisturize! Anyone have any gentle makeup remover tips? Please post them! Also, I have a problem with my makeup running off during the day. I have been considering applying foundation in an attempt to get it to stay on better but I am currently broke...so any tips for long lasting makeup while I wait for more money? :D

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P.S. please vote on the poll at the top of this page! I've noticed some formatting inconsistencies between computers, and I'd hate to think that half of you are seeing a very generic "raindrop on the window" background as opposed to the cool spiderweb one I found.